The actress we watched as the 'Ajak' of the movie "Eternals": Who is Salma Hayek?

Her full name is Salma Hayek Jimenez, she was born on September 2, 1966 in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. She was born to her father, Sami Hayek Domínguez, a Lebanese-based industrial equipment company owner and an oil company executive, and her Spanish mother, Diana Jiménez Medina, an opera singer and talent scout. Hayek has a younger brother, Sami, who is a furniture designer.

Growing up in a wealthy, devout Catholic family, Hayek began studying at the Academy of the Sacred Heart at the age of 12. While studying, she was diagnosed with dyslexia. She then went to university, studying international relations at the Universidad Iberoamericana.

Hayek made her screen debut in the television series "Un Nuevo Amanecer" (1988), for which she won the TVyNovelas Award for Best First Actress. The following year, Televisa company selected Hayek to play the lead role in the Mexican TV drama drama "Teresa" (1989–1991). Thanks to the series, Hayek became a successful star in Mexico. Additionally, she won the 1990 TVyNovelas Best Female Revelation Award for her performance in the series, which lasted two years and 125 episodes.

Wanting to continue her film career in Hollywood, Hayek moved to Los Angeles in 1991. Due to her limited English fluency and dyslexia, she soon enrolled in English classes and took acting lessons from actress Stella Adler. Hayek initially struggled with a lack of acting job offers after she moved. In the same period, she made guest appearances in the TV series "Dream On"(1992) and the tv sitcom "The Sinbad Show"(1993). That year, she appeared in supporting roles in the drama film "Mi Vida Loca" (1993), directed by Allison Anders, and in the TV thriller "Roadracers" (1994), directed by Robert Rodriguez, made for Showtime. 

In 1994 Hayek appeared in the role of Alma, a poor young woman who is a sex worker, in the Mexican drama film "El Callejón de los Milagros" (The Miracle Road), directed by Jorge Fons and based on the novel of the same name. The film received more critical acclaim than any other film in the history of Mexican cinema. She earned an Ariel Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance.

The following year, she starred alongside Antonio Banderas as the confident and feisty Carolina in the neo-western action movie "Desperado" (1995), written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. It was widely regarded as the film that broke Hayek. The film, which received mixed or average reviews, also achieved success with the revenue it received in return for its production budget. She continued this with a cameo role as the vampire queen in the action horror movie "From Dusk till Dawn" (1996), also directed by Robert Rodriguez, with Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Ernest Liu and Juliette Lewis. She also did an erotic tabletop snake dance for her role here. After being successful at the box office, the movie became a cult horror movie. Later that year, she starred in the movie "Follow Me Home" directed by Peter Bratt and the friendly action cop comedy movie "Fled" directed by Kevin Hooks.

The following year, she co-starred with Matthew Perry in the romantic comedy film "Fools Rush In" (1997), directed by Anny Tennant. The film was well received by critics and audiences. Additionally, the portrayal of the actors, especially Hayek's performance, was praised. The film was a moderate commercial success, earning Hayek an ALMA Award nomination for Best Actress in a Feature Film. Also that year, she appeared with Russell Crowe in the romantic comedy "Breaking Up" (1997), directed by Robert Greenwald.

In 1998, Hayek starred as an aspiring singer on the night scene of 1970s NYC in the drama film "54" written and directed by Mark Christopher. That same year, she appeared as a donut shop waitress in the drama film "The Velocity of Gary" directed by Dan Ireland. Later, she played a nurse in the supernatural science fiction horror film "The Faculty" directed by Robert Rodriguez. The movie, which became a cult after its release, also achieved success at the box office.

The following year, she landed the role of Serendipity in the fantasy comedy movie "Dogma," written and directed by Kevin Smith, alongside Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Alan Rickman. Despite all the controversy, the film was well received by the critics. Additionally, it was a commercial gain, with box office success. Later that year, she played the alleged daughter of a scientist who was kidnapped with Will Smith in the western film "Wild Wild West" directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Adjusted for inflation at the time of release, the film was one of the most expensive films ever made, and yet it was not a commercial success.

In 1999 Hayek founded the production company "Ventanarosa", where she produces film and television projects. She made her feature film debut as a producer with a Spanish-language film called "El Coronel No Tiene Quien Le Escriba" (1999). The film was Mexico's official selection for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. In 2000, she had a role opposite Benicio del Toro in the crime drama film "Traffic" directed by Steven Soderbergh. Later, she played an up-and-coming actress in the experimental film "Timecode" directed by Mike Figgis and a waitress in the Spanish comedy "Living It Up". That same year, she appeared in the heist comedy "Chain of Fools" as a cop and Playboy model.

The following year, she took part in the production and lead role of the TV movie "In the Time of the Butterflies" (2001), based on the book of the same name and telling the lives of the Mirabal brothers. Hayek plays one of the sisters, Minerva; Edward James Olmos portrayed the Dominican dictator Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, whom the sisters opposed.

Hayek served as producer and played the painter Frida Kahlo in the biographical drama film "Frida" (2002), directed by Julie Taymor. Fascinated by Kahlo's work since the age of 13 or 14, Hayek was determined to play the role. The film became a critical passion and an art house success. She became the first Mexican actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Additionally, she earned Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and British Academy Film Award nominations for Best Actress.

In 2003, she produced and directed "The Maldonado Miracle", a Showtime movie based on the book of the same name. With that, she won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing in a Children's Movie. She was later featured in the sequel spy action comedy "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" and the sequel western action movie "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" directed by Robert Rodriguez. The first was a huge box office success, but met with mixed reviews. The latter grossed $98.2 million worldwide and included Hayek's reprise of his role in "Desperado." She also appeared in the documentary film "V-Day: Until the Violence Stops".

The following year, she co-starred with Pierce Brosnan in Brett Ratner's action comedy "After the Sunset" (2004). The film, which received largely negative reviews from critics, was a complete box office debacle. However, the chemistry between Brosnan and Hayek was praised. In 2005, Hayek was a jury member of the 58th Cannes Film Festival and hosted the annual Nobel Peace Prize Concert with Julianne Moore in Oslo, Norway.

Hayek co-starred with Penélope Cruz in the 2006 Western comedy film "Bandidas." After their critically acclaimed performances, "Ask the Dust," a period romantic drama film based on a novel and co-starring Colin Farrell, was followed. Her final film of that year came with "Lonely Hearts," a neo-noir crime drama film about the notorious "lone heart killers" of the 1940s, Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was praised for its cast.

Hayek executive produced the American comedy-drama television series "Ugly Betty" (2006–2010). The series was a huge success among critics and viewers, and in 2007 it won a Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series. It also received nominations for both Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Comedy Series at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2007, Hayek made an appearance in Julie Taymor's jukebox musical romantic drama "Across the Universe" as a nurse singing a cover of The Beatles song "Happiness Is A Warm Gun". She then appeared as Madame Truska, who can grow an indestructible beard, in the film adaptation of the book "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" (2009), which failed both commercially and critically.

In 2010, Hayek appeared in the comedy movie "Grown Ups" as the wife of a fashion designer and a Hollywood talent agency (Adam Sandler). Despite all the negative reviews, the film was a success, earning $271.4 million worldwide. The following year, she gave the voice of Kitty Softpaws, a Tuxedo cat, with Antonio Banderas in the animated adventure comedy "Puss in Boots"(2011). The film, which received positive reviews from critics, was a huge success at the box office and earned a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 84th Academy Awards. In 2011, she starred in two international productions. The first was when she appeared as a dancer in the French drama film "Americano". For her performance, she won the San Sebastián International Film Festival Best Actress Award. The latter came with her casting as the wife of a former advertising executive in the Spanish drama film "As Luck Have It." For her performance, she earned a nomination for the Goya Best Actress Award.

In 2012, Hayek appeared as a cartel leader in Oliver Stone's action movie "Savages" and as a school nurse in Frank Coraci's comedy "Here Comes the Boom." She then reprized her role in the comedy "Grown Ups 2" (2013), which, despite all the negative reviews, was a commercial success like the first movie. In 2014, she appeared in Joe Lynch's action drama "Everly" as a woman forced into sexual slavery. She then reunited with Pierce Brosnam to play her crush in Tom Vaughan's romantic comedy "Some Kind of Beautiful." It did not succeed in both the box office and the critical in both films.

The following year, she starred in "Tale of Tales" (2015), a European fantasy film directed and written by Matteo Garrone, as the Queen of the 17th century Longtrellis. In 2016, Hayek voiced the role of Teresa del Taco in the adult animated film "Sausage Party." The film, which Hayek referred to as "the most mischievous thing I've ever done," became the highest-grossing R-rated animated film of all time, grossing $140.4 million worldwide.

Hayek appeared in Miguel Arteta's drama "Beatriz at Dinner" (2017) as a holistic medicine practitioner attending a wealthy client's dinner party. Her performance earned her an Independent Spirit Film Award nomination for Best Female Lead. She then appeared in the comedy "How to Be a Latin Lover" (2017) and Patrick Hughes' action comedy "The Hitman's Bodyguard" with Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds. The film was a commercial success, earning an impressive $176.6 million worldwide.

Hayek appeared in Kim Nguyen's tech drama "The Hummingbird Project" (2018) with Jesse Eisenberg and Alexander Skarsgård. The following year, she landed the role of Nancy Teagarten in Fred Wolf's comedy "Drunk Parents" (2019), along with Alec Baldwin. In 2020, Hayek co-starred with Rose Byrne and Tiffany Haddish in Miguel Arteta's comedy "Like a Boss." That same year, she appeared in Sally Potter's drama "The Roads Not Taken" with Javier Bardem and Elle Fanning.

Hayek's drama movie "Bliss" (2021), in which she plays a homeless woman who befriends a newly divorced man (Owen Wilson), premieres on Amazon Prime Video. She later reunited in "Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard," a sequel directed by Patrick Hughes and starring actors Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. However, Hayek's performance has been praised. The film was met with both mediocre reviews and poor box office success.

Hayek played Ajak, the group's sage and spiritual leader, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero movie "Eternals," directed by Chloé Zhao. The movie, which was released in the United States on November 5, 2021, received a different critical response. Despite this, it managed to become the tenth highest-grossing film of 2021, grossing $401 million worldwide. Her final film in 2021, she appeared in Ridley Scott's biographical crime drama "House of Gucci" alongside Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto and Jack Huston. The film received multiple awards and nominations, resulting in mixed reviews and a commercial win. Hayek later reappeared as Kitty Softpaws in the animated adventure-comedy "Puss in Boots: Last Wish."

In June 2022, Hayek will star alongside Demián Bichir in the upcoming film "Bloodless," based on a novel by Angelina Jolie. In 2023, she co-starred with Channing Tatum in the comedy-drama sequel "Magic Mike's Last Dance" directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film resulted in mixed reviews and moderate box office success.

Personal life

On March 9, 2007, Hayek announced that she was engaged and pregnant with French billionaire and Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault. The couple had a daughter born on September 21, 2007, in Los Angeles, California. The couple married in Paris on Valentine's Day 2009.

Hayek, a naturalized United States citizen, practices yoga. Hayek wishes to draw attention to the growing awareness of philanthropy, violence against women and discrimination against immigrants. She takes part in campaigns, funds and material and moral support for many institutions, organizations and associations in this regard.

Hayek has been the spokesperson for Avon cosmetics since February 2004. In 2008 Hayek founded Juice Generation's juice delivery program "Cooler Cleanse", and in 2017 Hayek and Eric Helms launched "Blend It Yourself", a beauty subscription delivery service based on Hayek's personal beauty potions. Thus, they can provide organic frozen smoothie and acai bowl ingredients to subscribers.

In 2011 Hayek launched its own line of cosmetics, skin care and hair care products called "Nuance by Salma Hayek" for sale at CVS stores in North America. Beginning to be seen as a sex symbol early in her career, Hayek has been cited by various media outlets as one of the most beautiful actresses in Hollywood. She was named one of the "50 most beautiful people in the world" by People magazine in different years. Maxim magazine listed it on its "Hot 100" list in 2005 and 2007. FHM magazine included it in its list of "The World's 100 Sexiest Women" in 2005 and in 2006.

Also, she was hosted from April 7 to June 18, 2006 in an exhibition called "Solamente Salma" (Spanish for "Only Salma"), consisting of 16 portrait paintings by muralist George Yepes and filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, at the Blue Star Center for Contemporary Art in San Antonio, Texas. In July 2007, The Hollywood Reporter magazine ranked it #4 on the "Latino Power 50" list of Hollywood's most powerful Latino members. In 2008, she was crowned with the Woman in Film Lucy Award for her creative work that strengthens the perception of women through television. She was also included in the list of "25 Smartest People on TV" by Entertainment Weekly magazine. Hayek has appeared on the covers of many international magazines throughout her career.